Apalachee High School head football coach Steve Sims has resigned.
When reached Wednesday, Sims said he is stepping down to focus more time and attention on his family. He said he plans to seek a job as an assistant coach elsewhere.
Prior to joining Apalachee as an assistant in 2014, Sims spent nearly 20 years as an assistant at Buford and Norcross. He took over as the Wildcats' head coach in 2015, but the program struggled during his time at the helm, going just 3-26-1 over that span — including a 1-9 mark this fall — and going winless against region opponents.
"It wasn't any one thing or reason," Sims said Wednesday of his decision to resign. "Some things are easier to deal with if you're moving in the right direction. I just felt like it was time to step aside, go coach a position somewhere and have a little more fun coaching."
Despite the Wildcats' continued struggles in 2017, Sims said he believes the program has a bright future.
"This was a tough year to make this decision because I really think they'll be better next year," he said. "We played a lot of young kids this year. Our numbers are getting better, our performance in the weight room is getting better, and I think some of those things will start to show up. We've got a lot of starters and probably more leadership coming back, which would have helped some this year. In terms of laying a foundation and other things we've been able to do, I feel like we did right by the kids."
Apalachee athletic director Ralph Neeley could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
See more in the Dec. 13 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.

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